Gynaecologist admonished for removing ovaries without consent

A leading consultant gynaecologist, John Studd, was last week found guilty of serious professional misconduct by the General Medical Council for removing a 35 year old patient's ovaries without her consent. But he was only admonished-the lowest penalty possible apart from taking no action.

Mr Studd, a consultant at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London and a pioneer of hormone replacement therapy, had told the professional conduct committee that he thought he had the “implied consent” of Jacqueline Bartley to take …